CLEARFIELD – On Tuesday the Clearfield County Commissioners approved to reallocate 2014 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to a Mahaffey demolition project.
According to Community Development Specialist Lisa Kovalick, in 2014 the county’s CDBG application awarded the Irvona Municipal Authority $80,000 to address replacement of a main waterline.
However, she said the county received a letter from the authority in which it declined the funds. She said this has left county officials with funds to reallocate to another eligible CDBG project.
Kovalick said the County Planning and Development Office completed countywide housing and blight studies in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
“Results, from both, indicate we have an abundance of aging housing stock,” she said, adding “that quite frankly is questionable for habitation.
“And, we have blighted structures – across the county – that are beyond repair. Our office receives inquiries from municipalities routinely about how to address blight remediation.”
She pointed out that county officials also address blight within the community development plan, which is submitted annually with the CDBG application.
According to Kovalick, Mahaffey Borough has requested CDBG assistance with the demolition of the old Mahaffey School. The county will reallocate the 2014 funding to Mahaffey for this project.
She said borough officials have not only committed funding, but also to owning and maintaining this property.
She explained that the modification to the 2014 CDBG application will be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for approval.
Kovalick said once approved, officials will initiate the process to obtain the building, advertise for its demolition with specifications and then raze the school.
